Battery-charging apparatus.



Emme@ 23, 1912.

@if Ufa lao UNITED. sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

EDWARD A; HALBLEIE, or ROCHESTER, NEWYOEK, Assienon To NORTHEAST-ELECTEIC COMPANY, OE ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION.

IBATTERY-CHARGING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. IIALBLEIE, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of NewYork, have invented certain new` and useful Improvt-nnentsl in Battery-Charging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus by which the charging of astorage-battery may be automatically'controlled, so as to discontinuethe charging operation when the bat tery is fully recharged and toresume the operation when the battery has become partly discharged.

The Object of the invention is to produce a simple and reliableapparatus operating electrically, in accordance with the variations inthe electroinotive torce of the stor age-battery, and particularly toproduce an apparatus of this kind which shall be sensitive, so thatlittle current need be employed to actuate it, and which, at the sametime, shall open and close the circuits controlled thereby positively atdistinct predetermined voltages in the battery-circuit.

To` the above ends I employ an electrd magnetic instrument, in thenature of a voltmeter, comprising a tield-winding and an oscillatorycoil, both of which are energized constantly by current from thebattery, this device being the primary controlling device of theapparatus and being used to actuate a novel and simplefmechanisin foropening and closingthle circuits at. two predetermined positions of theoscillatory coil. In the preferred form of the invention I alsoei'nploy, in connection with the device just described, anelectromagnetic device in the nature ci arelay for controltii'igdirectly the source of current from 'which the battery is charged, thislatter device being normally deenergized, so to economize current, butbeingtemporarily ucrgized at times when its operation is reo.`.ired tostart or interrupt the charging operation. l

In the accompanying drawing: 'Figure .l is a front-elevation of aportion oi2 the voltV meter, including the oscillatory coil and theSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3, 1911.

`on a pin i6.

Patented Apr. 2s, 1912. sei-iai No. 618,743.

connections ina storage-battery system in which the present invention isembodied.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention 'the portion of theapparatus come prising the oscillatory coil and the licldmagnet, whichportion is hereinafter referred to as the volt-ineter, is illust-ratedparticularly in Fig. l. The coil 5 is mounted upon a rock-shaft 6, andis oscillated between two iron pole-pieces 7 which are connected by aniron ring 8 so as to produce a magnetic circuit with an air-gap occupiedby the coil 5. In place of the permanent magnet usually employed toproduce a magi netic iield in devices of this type I employ anelect-romagnetic iield, the polar extensions 7 being, for this purpose,provided with windings 9, and these windings are connectcd, throughwires l() and 11, respectively, in series with the coilv5. The windingsand the coil are of high resistance so as to use little current, butowing to 'the fact that the energization ot both the field and the coil.

increase and decrease with the electromotive force o the current, thedevice is very sen sitive to changes in the elcctromotive force, andthus its action is positive and reliable even though little current beexpended in operating the volt-meter. Within the coil 5 is a stationaryiron core 54, which is sup ported on a pillar 55.

The circuit-controlling mechanism actuated by the volt-meter is Fhownparticularly in Figs. 2 and 3. It comprises a contactbar 12 whichcooperates with-a trip 13 fixed on the forward end of the rock-shaft 6.IThis trip is provided with a lug 14, and the contact-bar is providedwith a depending lug l5. The right-hand end ot thek bar is supported 'byresting upon the trip,while near its lett-hand end the bar is supportedY By means ft a spring 17 the bar is held. constantly ag.: the pin and-the trip, and the spring tends also to draw the bar to the lett, owingto the oblique po.-

sition of the sp. ing. rIhe lower end of the spring is secure to abinding-post i8 which is mounted in the casing 19 of the mechan nisrn,and the spring is thus utilized as an electrical connection between thecontactbar and. other parts of the apparatus. The contact-bar carries atits right-hand end a contact-spring 20 which, in the position ot theapparatus shown in Fig. 2, vengages a.

lfixed contact Q1 connected withv a bindingpost 22. i spring Q3,connected at one end to the trip 13, tends to rock the latter and therock-shaft (3 into the position or" Figs. l and 2. The lower end ot' thespring 23 is connected with an adjusting screw 24, by means of which thetension of the spring may be regulated.

With the parts in the position of Figs. l and Q, and with currentflowing through the volt-meter in the proper direction, the coil 5 tendsto swing to the rightor clockwise, while this act-ion is opposed both bythe spring 17 and by the spring 23, the former spring acting in thismanner through the engagement ot the lugs le and 15. las the current inthe volt -meter increases in strength the coil gradually overcomes thesprings and swings to the right, rand the lug 14C thus'moves the lug 15and the contact-bar also to the right. During the first part of thismovement the bar slides over the pin 16, and the contacbspring 2Oremains in engagement with the lined contact 21. Dur ing this movement,however, the lug 1a swings downward in its circular path, until finallyits upper extremity passes below the lower end ot the lug 15. When soreleased the lug l5 immediately rides upward upon the curved surface Q5of the trip, and is drawn to the lett and into the position of Fig. 3.1n this position the right-hand end oi the contact-'bar is tiltedupward, being supported upon the lug 15 as shown Ain the ligure, andthus the contact-spring 2O disengages the xed contact Q1. By the sameaction a contact-spring Q6 at the lett-hand end of the contact-bar istilted downward into engagement with a fixed contact 27 which isconnected with a binding-post 28. The volt-meter thus acts, when thecurrent attains a certain strength, to open one circuit and closeanother. 1With the parts in the position of Fig. 3, if the currentbegins to diminish in strength, the spring 23 gradually overcomes theaction oit the coil and swings the coil backward or to the lett. Thisaction'does not immediately produce any change in the position ot thecontacts, however, but as the trip rocks the lug 14E-4 graduallyapproaches the position ot the lug 15, until finally it passes under thelatter lug, whereupon the contact-bar immediately drops. to the positionot Fig. Q

termittently discharged Vto the extent necessary to maintain the batteryin the best cony dition. The voltages at which the deyice operates maybe cont-rolled by ,adjusting the spring 23. l

The volt-meter and the circuit-controlling mechanism actuated therebymaybe employed tocontrol directly the operation of the charging dynamoupon the storagebattery, and in this case one pair of the contacts abovedescribed may be dispensed vith. To secure a positive action, however,in throwing the charging dynamo into and out oioperation it ispreferable to employ the volt-meter indirectly, the volt-meter beingconnected with a circuit-controller in the nature. oi' a relay, whichlatter controls directly the dynamo-circuit. Such an arrangement isillustrated in Fig. 4. Here the terminals of the storage-battery 29 areconnected with two wires 30 and 31 which are the main wires of thesystem in which the battery is used. These wires are connected with theterminals of the windings of the volt-meter, so that current from thestoragefbattery constantly flows through the volt-meter. l

The battery is charged by a dynamo 32, ot which the brushes areconnected, through wires 35 and 36, with the main wires 30 and 31,respectively. An elect-ric valve Bet. is interposed in the wire toprevent reverse flow ot current through the armature from the batterywhen the dynamo is at rest. As such devices are well known theconstruction of the valve need not be illustrated or described herein.

The dynamo is controlled by controlling the iow of current through itsmain field-winding 37. This is a shunt-winding, and one terminal isconnected with the lower brush of the dynamo, while the other terminalis connected, through a wire 38, with a ixed contact- 39 of the relay.The relay is provided also with a movable contact-arm 40, and. this armis connected, through a wire Lil, with the main wire 30, thus completingthe circuit through the armature and through the ield 37, and this isthe normal condition of the apparat-us when the dynamo is charging thebattery;

To regulate the operation ofthe dynamo, and prevent. too rapid chargingof the battery, the dynamo is provided with an opposition-winding 42which is interposed in the connections between the battery and thedynamo. and this opposition-winding acts in a well-known manner to limitthe amo'unt ot current generated by the dynamo and flowing through thebattery.

The electromagnetic device by which the contact-arm i0 of the relay isactuated comprises an armature 443 cooperating with two pole-pieces 44-and L15, which are energized by coils it@ and 47, respectively.

The arma-- the armat-ure will be drawn to the left.

` Aa fixed contact 50 at the left of the contactwith a right-hand fixedcontact 52 of the re 1 Figs. 2 and 4 the relay is denergizedt v(so vhand fixed contact. At the same time the lower end of the armaturepasses over a a hump` on the spring 48, so that the movetrolling".mechanism actuated by the voltytion of Fig. 3; in this case current'gization of t-hc coil 47 is thus only moture has a forked upperextremity which cooperates with the contact-arm 40, while the lowerextremity of the armature coperates with a spring 48. The arrangement ofthese parts is such, as shown in Fig. 4, that the armature is retainedin either righthand or left-hand position by the spring 48, thusretaining the contact-arm in one position or the other.` With the partsin the position of Fig. 4, however, if the coil 47 be energized whilethe coil. 46 is denergized,

When about half of this movement has been completed the forked upperextremity of the armature engages the contact-arm 40 and swings itvoutof engagement with the rightment of the armature to the'left iscontinued under the influence of the spring even after the coil 47 hasbeen denergized, and .thus the amature 4completes its movement andswings the contact-arm into engagement with its. left-hand fixedcontact.

- The 'connections between the circuit-conmeter and the circuits in andcontrolled by the relaykare such that one of the coils 46 and 47 of therelay is momentarily energized, but1 immediately afterward denergized,whenever the relay is' operated to start Yor discontinue the charging ofthe battery. To this end one terminal of the coil 46 is connected,through a wire 49, with arm 40, while the other terminal ofthe coil isconnected, through a wirel55, with the binding-post 22. One terminal ofthe coil 47 is similarly connected, through a wire 51,

lay. The binding-post 18 is connected,- t-hrough a wire 54, with themain wire 31. The arrangement just described is such that with the partsin the position illustrated in Supposing, however, t-he volt-meter turnsto the right until the parts assume the osiows from the wire4 31 througha wire 54, the spring 17, the contact-arm 12, the contactspring 26, thefixed contact 27, and a wire 56 to the coil 47, and thence, through awire 51 and t-he fixed contact 52, to the contact-- arm 40. From thecontact-arm the current returns through a wire 41 to the wire 30. Acircuit is thus completed through the coil 47 and energized by thebattery current. The armature 43 is then drawn toa the left. Iny thecourse of the movement it engages the contact-arm 40 and swings it alsoto the left, thus disengaging it from the fixed contact 52 anddenergizing the coil 47. The enermentary, the latter part of themovement spring 48.

automobiles or railway-trains, is not limited to such use. Such commonlyemployed to energize the electric lights 'and other devices onautomobiles, and in Fig. 4 a number of electric lights 53 are indicatedconnected across the main wires 30 and 31, these lights being suppliedwith current at all times from the storagebattery whether or not thedynamo 32 is running.

produced by the The relay acts to control the dynamo through theengagement of the contact-arm 40 with the fixed contact 39. In therighthand position of the contact-arm these parts act to close thecircuit through the field winding 37, and thus the battery is chargeduntil the resulting movement of the voltmeter coil 5 to the right causesthe coil 47 to act, as just described, to disengage the contact-arm 40from the fixed contact 39.

The circuit-cont-rolling devices above described may be employed inconnect-ion with storage-battery system such as is used on although it asystem is I am aware that the general arrangement of the battery circuitabove described, including the generator, the battery, the.opposition-winding and the electric valve, is not novel, and thepresent invention resides particularly in the construction and operationof the automatic devices including t-he volt-meter, thecircuit-controlling mechanism actuated thereby, and the relay device.

I claim 1. In combination with a storage-battery,

battery-charging apparatus comprising a dsource of electricity, alfield-winding, a coil movable between the poles duced by said winding,connections between the field-winding, the coil and the storagebatltery,whereby the field-winding and the C01 from the battery,circuit-controlling contacts mechanically connected with, and actuatedby, the coil, said contacts being engaged when the coil has movedthrougha predetermined distance in one direction and heilig disengagedwhen the coil has returned through a posite directiomf and connectionsbetween said contacts, thel the battery,l whereby the chargingA of'thebattery is cont-rolled in accordance with the movements of the coil.

ofthe field proare constantly -energized by current predetermineddistance in the opsource of electricity and 2. In combination with astorage-battery,

battery-charging apparatus comprising a source of electricity, means forproducing a magnetic field, a coil movable between the poles of thefield, connections between the coil and the storage-battery, whereby thecoil. is constantly energized by current from Vm the battery, arotatable trip connected Wit-l1, and actuated by, the coil and providedwith a lug, a contact-bar resting onthe trip and having a' lugcooperating with the lug on the trip, a spring?,` connected with thecontact-bar and tending both to maintain the contact-bar in engagementwith the trip and to more the bar longitudinally, cooperating contacts,one oft which is carried by the contact-bar, connections between saidcontacts, the source ofelect-ricity and the battery, whereby thecharging of the battery is con rolled in accordance with the movementsof the coil.

3. ln combination with a storage-battery, battery-charging apparatuscomprising a source of electricity, volt-meter connections between thevolt-meter and the storage-battery whereby the volt-meter is con stantlyenergized by current from the battery, two pairs ot circuit-controllingcontacts n'iechanically connected with, and actuated by, the volt-meterso as to be alternatively closed by the opposite movements thereoi", arelay device comprising a vplurality of magnets connected with, andcontrolled by, said pairs of contacts respectively, a circuit-controlleractuated by'said magnets and comprising coperating contacts connected inseries with said magnets, respectively, and arranged to break thecircuit through each magnet upon the movement resulting from theenergization of are energized under-'the control of said cone.

tacts, and connections between the source ot electricity landsaid"circuitcontroller, whereby the charging of the batteryls'controlled by the relay deticel el. In combination lwith astorage-battery, battery-charging apparatus comprising a source otelectricity, a field-winding, a coil movable between the poles of thefield p'roduced by said winding,connections' between the held-winding,thevcoil and the' storagebattery, whereby the field-winding andthe coilare constantly energized by current from the battery, a rotatable tripconnected with, and actuated by, the coil, a contactbar cooperating withthe trip, lthe trip and the bar being provided vwith coperatinfir lugs,a spring connected with the contactbar and, arranged both to hold thebar'in engagement with'thc trip and to move the bar longitudinally,cooperating contacts, oney of which is carried by the contact-bar, andconnections between said contacts,y the source of electricity and thebattery, whereby the charging of the battery is controlled in.accordance with the movements of the coil.

EDWARD A. HALBLEIB. lVitnesses l l .y i). GURNEE,

L. THON.

Copies this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. o. i

